


A Thousand Miles

by masi



Series: Short Stories for BPS [6]
Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-10
Updated: 2013-11-10
Packaged: 2018-01-01 02:17:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1039138
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/masi/pseuds/masi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alex wishes that Masako lived in a warmer place.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Thousand Miles

**Author's Note:**

> Written for BPS Challenge No. 44: Travel.

Alex loves visiting Masako (in fact, she keeps a duffel bag packed and ready in her coat closet at all times), but she really doesn’t like Akita. It is a horrible place to visit in the winter. There isn’t much to do inside Masako’s freezing apartment besides layering on all the sweaters, pants, and gloves she can find and then curling up next to the space heater. Even breathing becomes an arduous task. 

Masako takes pity on Alex on their third anniversary of being a couple and gifts her with a plane ticket to Hong Kong. “We’ll spend the rest of your vacation there,” Masako says. “Since you’re too weak to handle the cold.”

“I love you too,” Alex says, and then jumps up with the intention to smother Masako with kisses. 

Her knee hits the kotatsu. The pot of beautifully steaming yudofu tilts over, spilling tofu and sauce and vegetables all over the table and floor. The rest of the evening is spent sweeping and mopping while Masako lies tucked underneath a gigantic fleece blanket on the couch and watches _Triad_.

Alex has a hard time falling asleep that night, even after she snuggles into Masako’s side. Their upcoming trip will be the first time she and Masako travel together to a place outside of Japan. It is going to be a good trial run for them, a way to see how long they can get along when Masako is out of her element. Maybe Masako will be willing to visit L.A. afterwards, instead of always making Alex come out here.

Alex finds flying kind of exhausting. It was a necessity when she played for the WNBA, and nowadays it gets her to the people she wants to see, but she has absolutely no aspirations to be a jet-setter, doesn’t want to do the grand tour of Europe, isn’t an avid fan of the Travel Channel, or anything like that. Flying involves things like long lines at various check-in counters, tedious layovers, stinky toilets, seat-mates who spend the entirety of the flight checking out her boobs, neck pains, leg cramps, greasy hair, panicky thoughts about how far removed she is from solid ground every single time the airplane lurches. Plus, traveling is expensive. She is trying to scrape by with the last of the money she has left from playing professional basketball, that hasn’t gone into paying off the medical bills incurred during the treatment of her eye disease. Freelance coaching is fun and rewarding but barely covers the airfare for the annual trip to Masako’s apartment.

The trip to Hong Kong promises to be painful for her bank account, but she can’t wait to go, to ditch her coat and boots. Can’t wait to wear nothing more than a T-shirt and shorts in the hotel room, and that’s only when she is opening the door for room service. She hopes Masako follows her lead. 

***  


After reaching the airport, Masako takes care of the luggage. Then, while they wait for the plane, she goes over their itinerary. Alex rolls the sleeves of her sweatshirt up, paints over the chipped orange polish on her fingernails. When the polish has dried, she runs her fingers up Masako’s leg, slides them underneath the boring black skirt.

Masako abandons the itinerary in favor of cussing her out, Yakuza-style, and Alex tests the words out on her tongue, adds them to her vocabulary. Skype calls are never this entertaining, and they always end up with Alex kissing the screen of her laptop while Masako rolls her eyes and calls her an idiot. 

“I can’t wait for you to come to L.A.,” Alex says, as they are queueing up at the gate to board their airplane. “I can’t wait to show you my new kids. They’re such sweethearts.”

She receives a noncommittal “hm” in return. Masako edges ahead of Alex, presents their boarding tickets to the dapper steward. Masako’s dark hair hangs in straight sheets, touching the small of her back, and her heels are gleaming. She looks like a cool, elegant businesswoman, very different from her years in the Japanese National Team. It had taken a moment for Alex to make the connection when Tatsuya first introduced her to his “Coach Araki.” She was less surprised when Masako began brandishing her shinai at her boys and yelling at Tatsuya for telling Alex that Masako used to belong to a biker gang. Maybe that was when Alex realized Masako was the woman for her. Definitely by their third game in Yosen’s gym.

They board the plane and find their seats. Masako takes the window seat and spends the entire take-off staring outside, even when the ground drops away and the airplane enters the clouds. But when Alex rests her head against Masako’s shoulder, Masako twines their fingers together. Alex takes her glasses off and puts them in Masako’s lap.

Alex is shaken awake only after she drools on Masako’s shoulder. Masako scowls as she cleans the drool off with Alex’s scarf and says, “I’ll have to remember to send the dry-cleaning bill to you. Hey, don’t go back to sleep!” She brushes Alex’s bangs back. “The dinner cart is coming.” She pulls Alex’s tray down.

Alex has a feeling that this trip is going to be great.


End file.
